Last Day Dogs - Wild Dogs that is!

In the three weeks I had been in Kruger I saw more amazing animals than I could have asked for.  The only thing – and it was a selfish thought - still on my list for my last day in the park as I left Olifants camp that early November morning in 2013 was wild dog; the second rarest predator in all of Africa.  Right out of the camp I saw a leopard jump down from a tree where he had a dead impala stashed.  Thirty kilometers down the road two zebra came running towards my car making a loud ruckus; several lionesses had just taken down their zebra friend behind a nearby tree.  I also saw the usual suspects, stopped for lunch at Satara, cold drinks at Tshokwane and sweated much in the extreme heat.  About thirty minutes from Lower Sabie, after a very long day, on the H10 I rounded a corner and saw two stopped cars.  I said out loud to myself, “I am only stopping for wild dog.  If it’s anything else I will keep going.”  I slowly rolled up to one of the cars.  The gentleman rolled down his window and said, “There are wild dog laying just there in the grass.”  I was astonished.

That was the best ear picture before the gang arrived!

The grass was high.  Occasionally I saw the twitching of a wild dogs’ ear whereby I clicked off a series of bad photos.  An hour passed and all I had seen of these wild dog was that ear twitch and an occasional tail flap; all of which sent my camera into a frenzy of bad shots.  After near two hours I decided it was time to move on to camp.  The very minute I put the car in reverse all hell broke loose.  About fifty wild dog came noisily back to what I learned was their den where they left the babies while they went out hunting.  I quickly picked up the camera – the car still in reverse and my mouth agape – that had a zoom lens on it.  I had no time to worry about that and just clicked.  Crazy mayhem and more bad photos ensued.  

Shooting with a zoom when I didn't need a zoom; mayhem!

Fast forward to my trip this year. Again it was the last day of a three week trip and I had seen too many great things to be asking for more; two leopards, two cheetahs on a kill, honey badger, wild cat, genet, bush baby and oh so much more.  I spent my last full day at Pretoriouskop Camp.  It was late in the afternoon but I decided to drive the Fayi loop one more time. 



The best shot I got..., he was the only still one...

The entire drive was quiet with only buffalo gracing me; not even another car up to that point.  Only a few kilometers away from the tar road a car came my way that had the window down; the driver held out his hand.  I pulled along beside him and stopped.   He said in a British accent, “Have you seen any wild dog?”  I thought he was asking to see if I had by happenstance passed any on the Fayi look where he was headed.  I disappointingly said no.  He pointed behind him and told me that two kilometers before the tarred road just down a road with a restricted access sign there were a pack of eight wild dog sleeping. 

The 2015 Last Day Dogs on the Fayi Loop

I said a quick thank you and bolted (within the speed limit) towards the dogs.  And sure enough there they were; eight wild dogs – log dogs – laying sleeping on the dirt road.  I was the only car and sat solo with them for as long as I could before having to get back to camp before gate closure.  

Next trip I guess I should just anticipate that these special critters will make me wait for the pleasure of seeing them.  For me theses are last day dogs.